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Furby Inside

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by ReikoX, 5 May 2004.

  1. ReikoX

    ReikoX What's a Dremel?

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    Phase 1: Disassembly
    Materials and Supplies
    • Screw drivers
    • Anti-static wristband
    • Soldering iron
    • A can of compressed air

    [​IMG]
    Here you can see the tools used to take apart the computer.

    Procedure
    • First get yourself an old computer that you want to mod, and get an idea of what you want to do. In my case, I wanted to stick a Furby in the case like the one I saw at www.blingmethod.com.

    [​IMG]
    This is an old Compaq I got before I knew anything about computers. Nothing impressive it is just a 333 MHz processor with 64MB of RAM, but it is suitable for my MP3/Web server.

    • Next start to take the computer apart by taking off the side panels. Some cases have rivets you may have to drill out.
    • Old computers like this get dusty, so some compressed air really helps clean up the parts before taking them out.
    • Next I took out the old Quantum Bigfoot HD and put it in an ESD bag for safe keeping. Boy I always thought it was a slick looking HD, but Always hated how loud it was.
    • Next to come out were the PSU, floppy and CD-ROM. I put them nearby as I wanted to paint their cages.
    • The only card in this thing is a 10-BaseT network card. Out it went and into my pile of old Hardware.
    • This Compaq has a tray that is removable so taking out the motherboard was a snap. I placed the motherboard, CPU and RAM in an ESD bag and set them aside.

    [​IMG]
    Here it is all taken apart down the bare frame. I can tell already that this Compaq is a very odd little case.

    • Next I needed to take apart the Furby.
    • Meet the victim. His name is Obay. Good network name. These little boogers have quite a personality to them.

    [​IMG]
    Here is the victim. I took his batteries out about half way into this because he kept complaining.

    • Once I got to the components I spent the rest the evening exploring how he worked. I knew that I had to turn one of his components upside down in order to wake him up. So I lengthened the wires to the component so I could remount it.
    • Next I took apart the CD-ROM. I removed the metal cage and the tray. I’m going to vinyl dye the tray and the drive bezels.

    [​IMG]
    Here is the CD-ROM with the cage removed. You can see Obay in the background with his new super motion sensor. He got tired of watching me take pictures.

    • Next I took apart the floppy. I might mod replace the LEDs with UV ones before I put it back together.

    [​IMG]
    Here is the inside of the floppy drive.

    • Finally I took apart the PSU.
    • WARNING: PSU capacitors hold a charge. Use proper safety guidelines to discharge them.
    • In order to remove the cage I had to use a soldering iron to remove the ground wire from its plug.

    [​IMG]
    Here is the soldering iron heating up so I could remove the cage and paint it

    Props and Slops
    • Props: Being safe about taking all my components out and documenting this mod from the beginning.
    • Slops: Not using proper safety guidelines to discharge the capacitors of my PSU. I got lucky, you might not.
     
  2. Acid Burn

    Acid Burn ..look but don't touch..

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    cool project! i'm wondering where you are going to put the furby (or curby or whatever). those are REALLY anoying! :D

    Good luck mate!
     
  3. backseatmiddlehump

    backseatmiddlehump What's a Dremel?

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    I am kinda wonering the same thing, I have a feeling it is gonna be really creepy upon start-up. Those things remind me of clowns, they freak me out.
     
  4. ModMonkey

    ModMonkey Size 11 Carbon footprint

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    <CHANTS AROUND A FIRE IN SOME STRANGE ROBE WITH A SPARKLY HEADPIECE>IN THE BIN IN THE BIN IN THE BIN IN THE BIN IN THE BIN IN THE BIN IN THE BIN IN THE BIN IN THE BIN IN THE BIN </CHANTS AROUND A FIRE IN SOME STRANGE ROBE WITH A SPARKLY HEADPIECE> :lol:

    Does anyone else think the original bezel looks a bit like the devil... sorry, furby??

    Getting a real anti furby vibe from myself here... i never knew i was sooss repressed!?
     
  5. Acid Burn

    Acid Burn ..look but don't touch..

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  6. Acid Burn

    Acid Burn ..look but don't touch..

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    oh... good english... :hehe:
     
  7. ReikoX

    ReikoX What's a Dremel?

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    Phase 2

    Phase 2: Planning and Layout
    Materials and Supplies
    • Straight edge
    • Compass
    • Tape Measure
    • Pencil
    • Paper
    • Digital camera
    • Tripod
    • Photo editing software

    [​IMG]
    All I needed for the layout was a pencil, compass tape measure and straight edge.

    • First I did some sketches of what I thought I wanted the case to look like when I was done.

    [​IMG]
    These are a few sketches I did while stuck in traffic one morning.

    • Next I took a bunch of pictures of the computer on a tripod. I removed pieces one at a time to bring into photoshop.
    • In photoshop I put the pictures on separate layers and used masks to simulate the cutting of holes.
    • I used color overlays and filters to simulate the paint job I wanted.

    [​IMG]
    Here is the final image after I finished editing it. Let’s see if I can even come close.

    • With a basic idea of what I wanted to do I began to layout the pieces.
    • I used a compass to make the circles. Getting the point to stick was a problem until I used an awl to start a small hole.
    • Again I used the compass to trace the outlines. This worked almost as well as the straight edge.

    [​IMG]
    The pencil lines were light and kept smudging. Next time I may try a grease pencil.

    [​IMG]
    Here are the markings for the top and side. The other side is the same as this one.

    Props and Slops
    • Props: Using the camera and tripod to simulate holes and the protractor to draw outlines
    • Slops: My photochop of the paintjob. If anyone is interested I plan on using Duplicolor Metalcast Green for the inside and Duplicolor Mirage Green-Purple for the outside. UV and Green Lighting effects.
     
  8. SFOD-D LoneWolf

    SFOD-D LoneWolf What's a Dremel?? :p

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    What will they think of next :p


    Keep it up!





    Cheers,
    Mike
     
  9. Darv

    Darv Bling!!

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    I saw someone else put a furby into a computer ages ago. It looked pretty good. The only problem was he hadn't thought about the fact that you have to turn them upside down to wake them up. :lol:
     
  10. tm36usa

    tm36usa What's a Dremel?

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    hey i remember that.
     
  11. ReikoX

    ReikoX What's a Dremel?

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    Window preperations

    Phase 3: Window Preparations
    Materials and Supplies
    • Dremel tool
    • Pack of cutoff disks
    • Router bit
    • Jigsaw with metal cutting blade
    • Files
    • Emery Cloth and sanding block
    • Safety Glasses
    • Gloves
    • Ear protection
    • Particle mask

    [​IMG]
    These are the power tools used. Remember safety first boys and girls.

    Procedure
    • First I had to cut out the hole in the front bezel for the Furby to go in
    • After experimenting with different bits, I finally found a router bit that would give a clean cut without melting the plastic. Man I need a variable speed Dremel.
    • After about 20 minutes fitting, marking, routing and refitting I got a nice snug fit.

    [​IMG]
    This is the finished bezel. I used a cutoff disk to clean up the two corners by the mouth.

    • After that I decided to cut a window in the CD-ROM.
    • The cutout was done by starting a hole with a cutoff disk and using the jigsaw. The size of the CD is about the max radius my jigsaw will cut smoothly. I should keep that in mind for my next mod.

    [​IMG]
    Here is the cutout for the CD-ROM. This was more of a test piece than anything else

    • Next I cut the top window.
    • I started off by starting each straight cut with the Dremel.

    [​IMG]
    Here you can see how I started the top. I wish this case had separate panels.

    • Next I cut all the straight pieces with the jigsaw.
    • Try to keep the blade as close to the wood as possible, this helps prevent wobbling.

    [​IMG]
    Here you can see all the straight cuts are done. The top was the easiest to cut by far.

    • Finally the corner pieces and the tabs were cut with the jigsaw. As I didn’t have a scrolling blade, I had a lot of difficulty with this part.
    • The corners were squared off using a cut off disk.

    [​IMG]
    Top is all cut and a test fit looks pretty good so far.

    • The same procedure was applied to the other two panels and the motherboard tray.
    • This motherboard uses the chassis as a ground. So I had to keep some contact with metal. This is what spawned the whole tab design.
    • After a test fit I noticed the tabs motherboard side panel didn’t line up with the tabs on the motherboard tray. I must have missed this in my design.
    • I had to decide. Remove the tabs or have them aligned. I removed them on the motherboard side and really liked it. So the rest went too.

    [​IMG]
    All panels cut and a test fit looks ok. I ended up not liking the tabs and removing them later. Man I need a scrolling blade.

    • Now to smooth the edges.
    • I used a file to Debur the metal and various grits of emery cloth to get a nice smooth rounded edge.

    Props and Slops
    • Props: The emery cloth and sanding block made a nice rounded finish and the nice snug fit for Obay.
    • Slops: Should have not wasted the effort on the tabs and should have used some hand clamps to hold the case in place better.
     
  12. ReikoX

    ReikoX What's a Dremel?

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    Yeah me too, I first saw it at www.blingmethod.com and thought it was SO FUNNY I had to do it myself. And yes that's how I knew I had to turn it upsidedown :) Turns out that is only true on the first generation furbies, this one is a second generation and just a slight shake will wake him up.
     
  13. kiljoi

    kiljoi I *am* a computer king.

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    :hehe: Damn, that was funny. Looks pretty interesting so far, although i can't say I agree with your use of a furby. Demonic little buggers. Anyways, it's nice to see another modder from close by (I'm in El Paso, Texas). Good luck with the project, will be keeping an eye on this one. :thumb:
     
  14. ReikoX

    ReikoX What's a Dremel?

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    Fitting the Lexan

    Phase 4: Fitting the Lexan
    Materials and Supplies
    • Dremel tool
    • Cutoff disks
    • Router bit
    • Router stand
    • 2 18x24” 1/8” thick Lexan
    • Heat gun
    • Corner clamps
    • Hand drill (not shown)
    • Gloves
    • Safety glasses
    • Ear protection
    • Particle mask

    [​IMG]
    Just a scrap of the Lexan is shown here so you can see the thickness.

    • First I started by cutting all the Lexan to size.
    • I had a total of four panels I was going to cut. I tried to layout the pieces leaving useful scrap pieces as large as possible.

    [​IMG]
    This is the layout for the two side panels.

    • Since I knew I didn’t need a good finish on the edges, I used a cutoff disk to cut the Lexan to size.
    • No special Dremel techniques were required. I did use several passes to keep the Lexan from melting though.
    • Next I traced out the shape of the windows onto the Lexan.
    • I wanted the Lexan to be flush with the case. So I used the Dremel on the router stand to do the inlay. It turned out to be a larger area than I anticipated. Next time I will probably use a full size router.

    [​IMG]
    Here I am routing the inlay on the motherboard panel. After this picture my wife started calling me “The Mad Scientist”

    • After all the routing was done, the Lexan was fit together for a test fit.
    • The first problem I noticed was the motherboard was too close to the Lexan for my comfort.
    • I used some standoffs to lift the motherboard up a bit, but the test fit in the case showed that the drive cage would have to go. So much for planning, time to improvise.

    [​IMG]
    This test fit shows the drive cage is going to have to be removed and a new one manufactured.

    • Next I started to make the new drive cage.
    • The HD is very thin (thank goodness) so I could fit the CD-ROM and HD and only loose one drive bay.
    • I started by finding a scrap of Lexan suitable for a drive cage.
    • I cut the Lexan to the perfect size and then put it in a vise using the CD-ROM cage as a template.
    • Using a heat gun I slowly heated the Lexan and applied gentle pressure to the edges until they formed to my template.

    [​IMG]
    Here is the Lexan all in place and ready to melt. No it’s not the angle, The left side was too short and I never noticed.

    • The cage was held into place by hand until the Lexan cooled.
    • I didn’t measure correctly, so this drive cage had one side too short.
    • The same procedure was applied to another piece of Lexan. This time I would cut the excess to size after bending.

    [​IMG]
    Here is the second drive cage I made. The long edges will be cut to size after bending this time.

    • Next the old drive bay had to be removed
    • I used a pencil to lay out where I wanted to cut.
    • The two sides were cut with a jigsaw along the lines drawn, but it was too big to do the last cut.
    • Since this was a tight space I couldn’t use my jigsaw. The Dremel was going to be used here. Since I didn’t have a flex shaft, I had to stick my hand through the hole where the PSU mounts.
    • When everything was cut I realized that I followed the wrong line on one side and it was longer than the other.

    [​IMG]
    Here you can see the two lines I drew in. Notice how I followed the wrong line on the bottom piece.

    • I was just about to cut it to the right length when I thought about testing to see if the first drive tray I made would work.
    • What a happy little accident. Turns out the side that was too long just made up for the piece of Lexan that was too short.

    [​IMG]
    There is plenty of room for the motherboard now.
     
  15. stoned penguin

    stoned penguin What's a Dremel?

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    ahhhhhhhhhhh
    furby's scare me :eeek:
     
  16. JEEVES

    JEEVES Minimodder

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    glad to see other people besides me taking to the lil cases... i dont count shuttles :D
     
  17. 3N1GM4

    3N1GM4 What's a Dremel?

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    er yeah, that was me who said that.... forgot to log out on my bros comp... grrr
     
  18. ReikoX

    ReikoX What's a Dremel?

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    Actually it was nicely designed they even had "rounded" cables in there for better airflow. They were regular IDE cables slit down the middle. I'll show you more pictures when I get to the PSU mod.
     
  19. RotoSequence

    RotoSequence Lazy Lurker

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    eeeeeewwwww, a Furby :eyebrow: LOL, good luck on this. Hopefully those within the immediate vicinity will not go insane :p
     
  20. ArmyAnt

    ArmyAnt What's a Dremel?

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    Thats awesome! I wonder if you could control the furby via serial and make him say things like eat me... Would take a good electrical engineer to do that one...
     

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